Fed: Medicare levy should be upped to fund dental care: report

AAP General News (Australia)
02-16-2009
Fed: Medicare levy should be upped to fund dental care: report

By Melissa Jenkins

CANBERRA, Feb 16 AAP - Taxpayers would be charged a higher Medicare levy to fund a
universal dental scheme under a radical proposal by the federal government's health reform
body.

Accommodation bonds for high-care nursing home residents was another idea floated by
the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission in its interim report, released on
Monday.

Commission chairman Dr Christine Bennett told the National Press Club in Canberra that
about 670,000 adults were on public dental care waiting lists, with an average waiting
time of 27 months.

The commission has recommended a 0.75 per cent increase in the Medicare levy to pay
for a scheme, called Denticare Australia, which would replace existing premiums paid for
private dental insurance.

"(Denticare) would give every Australian universal access to preventative and restorative
dental care and dentures, regardless of a person's ability to pay," Dr Bennett said.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the government was committed to long-term health
reform, despite a looming recession.

"They (the commission) have put forward a fairly radical proposal, obviously the way
of delivering the services, and a tax, an extra levy attached to it, it is a fairly ambitious
proposal," she said of Denticare.

"But we are interested in the community's response to this issue. I think people do
feel that something new is needed in dental care."

Australian Dental Association president Neil Hewson said targeted funding was a better
approach than a universal scheme.

"Denticare, as is suggested by the commission, is not necessary and would be fiscally
irresponsible and unlikely to deliver quality dental care," he said.

Dr Bennett said Australia's aged-care system needed to be overhauled to respond to
changing consumer expectations.

"We recognise that providers will need to be able to raise revenues to invest in expanded
places and offer greater choice," she said.

"We therefore suggest that accommodation bonds, and other alternative approaches for
payment, be explored."

A spokesman for Ms Roxon said the government was not currently considering introducing
bonds in high-care.

The commission called for the Commonwealth to take over responsibility for primary
care, that is services provided outside of hospitals by professionals such as GPs and
physiotherapists.

But it stopped short of recommending a takeover of state hospitals, instead putting
three options forward for discussion.

Under the first model, responsibility for the nation's health system would continue
to be shared by the Commonwealth and the states, while the second model advocates a federal
takeover of the system, with services delivered by regional health authorities.

The third and most radical option is a socialisation of the system, whereby the Commonwealth
would be responsible for health-care and establish a compulsory social health insurance
scheme.

Ms Roxon described the third option as radical, while Australian Medical Association
president Rosanna Capolingua said it seemed to be similar to the model in the United States
where private health insurers controlled the system.

"What happens there is that when you have something wrong with you that doesn't fit
into the plan then there is no one to look after you," Dr Capolingua said.

The health minister repeated the government's threat to hold a referendum on whether
or not Canberra should assume control of public hospitals if the states don't lift their
game by the middle of the year.

But despite that deadline being just four months away, Ms Roxon again refused to reveal
exactly what the trigger point for such action would be.

AAP mj/tnf/de

KEYWORD: HEALTH WRAP (WITH FACTBOX)

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